Improvement in paper-box machines



ZSheets-SheetL R. GRIMM.

PAPER Box-MACHINE. No. 171,476; humaines-.28,1875

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. GRIMM. PAPER :Box-MACHINE. 4No.171,4.76. Patented Dec. M1875.

Wz'lzmea: Ilz mzlwf.- j l Il 14W N.PETERS. PHDTO-LITHOSRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIcn.

RICHARD GRIMM, OF NEW YORK, N. ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND HENRY MEYER, 0F SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-BOX MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 171,476, dated December 28, i875; application filed August 30, 1875.

` To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known thatl, RICHARD GRIMM, of New York city, in the county 'and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved completed boxes, all as hereinafter more fully described.

The principal fea-tures of invention are contained in the new construction of a device by which the paper, after it has been cut, is couveyed to the foldingmechanism,and finally discharged from the conveying-tool, and also in the new construction of glue or gum boxes, in which the glue applied to thepaper is contained, and wherein it is maintained in a soft condition, and from which it is taken at cerf tain intervals, as occasion requires, to be applied to the paper, the whole mechanism being entirely automatic.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a top view, of my improved machine, these two figures representing the machine without the glue-boxes, which would otherwise hide other mechanism necessary to show. Fig. 3 is a ver tical longitudinal section through the cutting, feeding, conveying, and folding part ofthe machine. Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, ofthe cuttingand conveying mechanism, showing theglue-box attached to the latter. Fig. 5 is a face view ot' the conveying mechanism, showing two glue-boxes attached to the opposite sides of the same, said glue-boxes being shown in section. Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the glue-boxes. Fig. 7 is a face View of the conveying-tool with the glue-boxes therein. Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing the gumming-blades or wipers and the clamp of the glue-boxes in a different position from that in which they are shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a face view of the paper blank after it has been cut and punched by the machine. Fig. l() is a similar view thereof', showing it after it has been gummed and creased; and Fig. l1 is a top view of the complete box.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The letter A in the drawing represents the frame of the machine, made of metal, wood, or

other material, of proper shape, size, andv inafter specilied. The said cams are all indicated in Fig. 2, and several ot' them are also represented by dotted lines in Fig. l, and some in Fig. 4. l is a table, tirmly attached to one .end of the frame A. In front of this table is hung a drum or roll, G, upon which the paper or pasteboard from which the boxes are to be made is wound; but, in place of a drum or roll, long strips of paper or pasteboard not rolled up may be employed. Above thistable l is suspended, from a vertical slide,D, the cutter E, which is made in form of a horizontal plate or frame, the front edge of which carries a pendent cutting-blade, m, while behind said blade there are two pairs of straight cutting or punching ribs, n a, which are all parallel withtlie cutting-blade m, but considerably shorter than the same, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The slide D is, by a vertical rod, o, connected with a lever, p, to which, by the cam g, the requisite downward motion is imparted, aspring, g, serving to raise the slide D after the cam g ceases to act upon the lever 19. Thus l reciprocating motion is imparted to the slide D and cutter E once during every revolution of the driving-shaft B, and the cutter caused at each descent to detach from the en d of the roll of paper apiece of the size required for forming a box, (the shape of the blank being indicated in Fig. 9,) said piece of paper or blank being also provided at each cnd .with two incisions, (shown in Fig. 9,) which determine the extent of the longitudinal folds to be produced on the blank, and also the extent of the transverse folds, the depth of each incision determining the distance ofthe transverse fold from the end of the blank, while the longitudinal fold is determined by the distance of the incision from the side edges of the blank After the cutter has detached a blank of the style shown in Fig. 9, and provided the saine with the requisite incisions, said blank is taken hold of by a horizontal reciprocating` carrier, F, which. at its rear end-being the end which is farthest away from the roll C-ca'rries a rock-shaft, s, with two projecting claws, r r.' (See Fig. ,3.) A spring, t, bears on a cam portion of the rockshaft s, so as to crowd the claws r z upon the rear end ofthe blank, and thereby confine the blank to the slide or carrier F-that is to say, before the cutter E is brought down to detach and cut the blank the dat plate portion ofthe carrier F is placed on the table l, beneath the rear part of the cutter E, as in Fig. 3, the

. claws r r meanwhile fastening the rear end of the paper slip down upon the dat plate portion of the carrier.

After the cutter has detached the blank from the strip, the carrier Fis moved backward to convey thefblank away from beneath the cutter backwardly-that is to say, farther away from the roll (l.

For the purpose of obtaining the requisite horizontally-reciprocating niotion, the carrier F is, bya rod, u, connected with an elbow-lever,

fv, to which, by the camv l1. on the driving-shaft B, and by a spring, w, vibrating motion is imparted, the vibrating motion of the lever t being, by its action on the rod u, transformed into horizontal reciprocating motion of the carrier. After the carrier has been moved as far backward as possible a crank, x, on its shaft s is struck during a subsequentvertical motion of the carrier F, which will hereinafter be more fully described, by a fixed stop, y, and the rockshaft s thereby so vibrated that its spring t will throw the claws r r off the blank, leaving the latter loose on the hat portion ofthe carrier, substantially as indicated in Fig. 4.

The blank is now in condition and position to be taken up by the conveying-tool G. This conveying-tool consists principally of a vertical block, g2, rectangular in horizontal section, which block is suspended from a rockshaft, a2, that hangs in the upper ends of 1evers b2, that are pivoted to the sides of the frame A. A crank, c2, on the rock-shaft a2 extends into an inclined slotted guide, d2, that is fastened to the frame A, and serves, during the vibration of the levers b2, to so swing the shaft a2 that the block or body g2 of the conveyer G, with all its appendages, wil-l always remain in a vertical position, or nearly so. The pivot-bar c2 of the levers l2 has a projecting crank, f2, which bears on the cam t' of the shaft B, as in Fig. 4, so that by such cam z' vibrating motion -is imparted to the levers b2, and by them to the conveyingtool G; but the latter is, during such motion, invariably held in a vertical position-that is to say, suspended vertically from and below the rockshaft a2, to which it is rigidly attached.

The central block or body g2 of the conveyer has, as already stated, a horizontal section of rectangular form, the size of which is yvery near the size of the interior of the box to be produced, but slightly smaller than the same. The lower part of the block g2 of the conveyer is embraced by a quadrangular sleeve, h2, which sleeve has externally about the size and shape of the interior of the box to be produced, without necessary reference, how ever, to the height of such box.

For greater convenience of description, I will style those vertical sides of the conveyer which are parallel with the axis of the drum C the faces 7 of the same, and those vertical sides thereof which are at right angles to the faces I will style the sides7 of the conveyer. On the two faces the conveyer carries two slides, i2, which are connected with each other by a pin passing through a vertical slot on the block g2, as in Fig. 3, and which, by their own weight, have the tendency to drop down, so that their lower ends will be flush with the lower end of the block g2, as in Fig. 3; but these slides 2 are capable of a vertical motion on the block, as hereinafter set forth. Each side of the conveyer carries also a slide, jz, which two slides jl are represented in Fig.

5, they being both thin plates of metal, both,

bearing directly against, and being outside of, the ends of the sleeve h2, so that thus, when the sleeve is in its downward position on the block g2, and the slides 2 j2 are also in their downward position, said sleeve will be entirely embraced by the four sides i2 i2 and jzjz. The length of each slide jz, horizontally, is the same as the width of the sleeve 71.2, and the length, horizontally, of each slide i2 the same as the length of the sleeve `h2. Each slide j2 is connected with a spring, k2, which has the tendency to raise such slide j2 to its greatest height on the convever, as and for the purpose hereinafter specified.

To each side of the conveyer is applied one of the two gum or glue boxes H H, which are suspended from pins that project from the faces of the slides i?, so as to partake of the vertical motion of said slides, the two glueboxes having the slides jz, the sleeve h2, and the block g2 between them, as clearly indicated in Figs. 5, 7, and 8. Each glue-box H has a false bottom, Z2, and below the saine a sliding wiper-blade, m2, and below said wiperblade a regular bottom, all as indicated in Fig. 5. Each wiper m2 extends transversely through the lower part of the gluebox, and is capable of heilig moved nearer to the slide h2 or farther away from the same. The outermost end of `each wiper is connected with a crank-shaft, a2,

that is hung on the outer side of the glue-box, so that when such crankshaft is vibrated in one direction, thewiper will be moved inward-. e., toward the sleeve h2; and if the crank-shaft is vibrated in the other direction, the wiper will be moved outward-i. e., away from the sleeve h2. When the wiperhas been moved farthest outward, as in Fig. 5, a hole in it is directly beneath a hole in the false bottom Z2 of the glue-box, and the glue contained in the glue-box is, consequently, allowed to iiow into the lower part of the samebeneath the wiper, and thereby to come in contact with the lower surface of the inner end ofthe wiper. When, thereupon, the wiper is moved inward--thatis, toward the sleeve ILL-the lower surface of that portion of it which then extends from the glne-boxis coated with glue.

The contents of each glue-box arermaintained in the proper liquid or semi-liquid condition by a steam-jacket, o2, which is applied to each glue-box, as indicated in Fig. 6, and

to whichl steam is conveyed through a pipe,

p2, such steam escaping through another pipe, q2. To'the outermost. end .of each wiper m is pivoted a rod, r2, which at its front end, beneath the innermost end of the wiper, carries a transverse enlargement or clamp, s2, the body of the rod r2 passing through a loop, t2, that is suspended from the lower end of the glue-box. .An incline-d edge isformed on the enlarged middle portion of the rod r2 in such a way that when the wiper is moved inward, such inclined part ofthe rod will lbe raised in the loop t2, and the clamp s2 thereby swung up toward and near to the gummed lower surface on the inner end of the wiper, as in Fig. 7, while, when the wiper is moved outward, it will draw the inclined enlargement of the rod r2 out of the loop t2, and allow the clamp s2 to drop away from the wiper, as indicated iii Figs. 5 and 8. When the paper blank, as above described, has been drawn backward on the carrier F and released by the claws r r, the con veying-tool or conveyer G, with all its appurtenances hereinabove specified, is, on `the levers b2 and rock-shaft a2, suspended directly above such blank, as indicated in Fig. 4, and in this position of parts the slides i2, `with the gum-boxes H, are by their own weight suspended as low` on the conveyingblock g2 as possible, while the sleeve h2 is also in its lowermost position around the block g2, the slides j2, however, being raised by their springs k2 as ,far as they can be raised on the `block g2, as indicated in Fig. 7. The wipers of the glue-boxes are as yet drawn outward. At this stage of the operation a vertical slide, I, is raised from beneath against the carrier F, elevating it slightly, and with it theblank `that rests on such carrier, so that the blank willbe brought in contact with the lower surcranks of the rock-shafts n2 of the glue-boxes H are struck by vertically ascending rods a3, that connect with a lever, b3, which is actuated by the cam jrof shaft B, `and by these rods a3 the shafts n2 are vibrated to slide the wipers inwardly over the middle portions of the ends of the blank. Thus the blank will,

Vwith its ends, come in contact with the glued lower surfaces of the inner ends of the two wi pers, said glued lower surfaces bein g, by preference, roughened, so that they will retain the requisite quantityof glue. In this manner the blank is properly gummed, and also attachedv to the wipers, and by them held to t-he con veyer to be taken by the same to the folding mechanism,'the gummed portion of the blank being that portion of each end of the-blank which is between the incisions that are formed raised off the blank, as in Fig. 4, the spring t holding the shaft s, by frictional contact, in the new position thus imparted to it--that is to say, with the claws raised. `After the blank has been attached to the con veyer in the man'- ner described, the slidelis immediately drawn down by the spring wz, and the carrier F thereby lowered away from the conveyer and from the blank, the nextmovement being a forward motion of the carrier F, which introduces its flat portion beneath the end ot' the paper strip, and finally takes hold of the `end of said strip by-means ofthe claws r r. This is effected by a fixed stop, y2, which is fastened upon the table Z, and strikes a crank on the rock-shaft s as soon as the carrier is brought farthest forward, and by so striking such crank causes the claws r r to snap down, under the action of the spring t, upon the paper, and to take A hold ofisuch paper and draw it with it during the subsequent backward movement of the carrier away from the roll C, until it hasI drawn it sufficiently below the cutter E that a new blank can be cutfrom it, whereupon the carrier stops for a, short time to allow the cutting process to be performed, and then resumes its motion to take the new blank`under the conveyer again, in the manner already described..

It is needless to state that the various horizontal movements and stops of the carrier F .depend entirely upon a proper configuration of the cam h, which is represented by dotted lines in Fig. l.

Having now described the construction of that part of the machine by which the paper is fed under the cutter, cut, and the blank nally applied to the lower face or end of the conveyer, and gummed by the wipers of the glue-boxes, and having, in connect-ion with the description of the apparatus, also described the mode of operation pertaining thereto, it only remains to describe the mechanism devised for properly folding the blank that is attached to the conveyer andthe operation of folding. As already stated, the first movement afterI the parts arrive in the position represented in Fig. 4L is the lowering of the carrier F and its forward motion away from under the conveyer. The conveyer is then left free, with the blank attached to its lower face or end, and is then swung, by its levers b2, upon a stationary die, J, which is rigidly attached to the frame of the machine, and which has a dat upper face about the size of the bottom of the paper box to be produced. The conveyer is vibrated or swung directly over and upon this die, so, in fact, that it will, with its whole weight, press the paper blank upon such die, the position of the conveyer, with reference to that of the die, being clearly indicated in Figs. l and 3. Into this position the conveyer arrives with its slides 2 lowered down, the sleeve h2 also low- .ered down, and the slides j2 raised. Just as the conveyer reaches its position on the die a crank of each shaft u2 is struck by a pin or vertical rod, d3, that is raised by the action of the cam j and lever b3 against such crank of the shaft n2,- and by such action of the liftingrods d3 the crank-shafts n2 are vibrated, so as to vdraw the wipers m2 outward, and with themv the rods r2 and their clamps s2, the latter be- .ing at the same time lowered, as clearly indicated in Fig. 5. The blank now has its middle portion 'confined between the end of the conveyer-block g2 and the die J, its sides being below the ends of the lowered slides Z2, but its ends free from contact on their upper as well as on their lower faces.' These ends, as appears by reference to Fig. 9, consist each of three parts, 63 f3 e3, separated by the incisions of the punches n a, the corner parts eV being not gunnned, while the middle parts]E3 of the ends of the blank are gummed on the upper faces, the limits of the applied gum being indicated in Fig. l0. In front of the die J is hung, on a cross-shaft of the frame, 'a vibrating folder, L, which has at its ends upwardly-lirojecting ears Q3, the inner faces of these ears being about as far apart from each other as the length of the box to be produced. To the rock-shaft h3, on which the folder L is mounted, is imparted the requisite oscillating motion by a series of jointed rods or levers, 3, and by the cam d, a spring, jg, holding the appropriate link of the levers i3 in proper contact with said cam, and tending to lower the folder L, while the cam d has the tendency at proper intervals to raise or swing up the folder L. M is another folder, mounted upon a rotary shaft, N, that is hung transverseb7 in the frame of the machine. rIhe folder M is on the back of the diethat is to say, on the side opposite to that .on which the folder L is applied. 'Ihe rotary folder Mis made in shape of a cross in section, asin Fig. 3, with four, more or less, projecting arms, each of which arms constitutes a folder of substantially the same con-l struction and size as the folder L, and each having upwardlyprojecting ears k3, as far apart from each other as the ears g3 are on L, and each having also horizontally-projecting ears Z3, that stand at right angles to the ears 7c3, but are the same distance apart from each other as the latter. If the rotary folder were revolved the end of each of its four, more or less, arms would just clear the rear face of the die J and of the sleeve h2. Its ears' 7c3 would just straddle the lower part of the rear slide t2, and the ears Z3 would just straddle the die J, the lower part of the block g2, with its box h2, and slides jz. If the folder L were re-y volved its end'would just about graze the face of the box h2, while its ears g3 wouldstraddle the front slide t2. Of course the folder M may be placed in front, and the folder L in rear, of the die, if desired. Intermittent rotary n10- tion is imparted to the folder M by the cam b acting on jointed levers m3, that connect with the shaft N, a spring, n3, serving to hold the levers m3 in proper contact with the cam b. One of the jointed levers i3 on the rockshaft h3 has also a projecting pin, 03, (dotted in Fig. 1,) which comes at proper intervals in contact with the arms of a cross, p3, that is mounted upon the shaft N, as indicated in Fig. l.

The first motion toward folding the box is produced by an upward vibration from the position shown in Fig. 3. of the folders L M, whereby the ears g3 and k3 are brought under and against the corner aps e3 of the paper blank, swinging said aps up into vertical position, the lines of folding being indicated by dotted lines in Fig.' 9. The vibrating motion necessary for this action is not considerable in the folders, and is produced ou the folder L by a step of the cam d, and on the folder M by the piu o3 touching the cross p3, and giving it a slight upward vibration. At the same time, about, that the corner flaps e3 of the blank are thus folded up, the slides 2 of the conveyer are raised out of the way of the folders that are to follow the motion above described.

The elevation of the slides i2 is produced by a lever, g3, which is swung up by proper rodconnection t3 with the cam lc. After the lapels 63 of the blank have been folded up, and after the slides i2 have been raised, the sides ofthe box are formed by folding up the sides of the blank at right angles to the middle part of the blank proper, and by thus folding the sides vof the blank into vertical position the corner lapels' e3 are brought vertically over the inner ends of the gummed lapels f3 at the ends of the blank. This vertical folding of the sides of the blank is obtained by a further upward motion of each folder Land M, each folder with its end wiping one side of the blank up against its corresponding side of the box or sleeve h2. Immediately after this process of folding the sides of the blank is carried into effect, or about at the same time, the end slides j are moved downward, being crowded down by levers r3, that derive their motion by rods s3 from the cam f, the effect of the lowering of the slides ji being to confine the folded end lapels or corner lapels c3 between the ends of the sleeve or box h2 and the slides j?. In Fig.V 2 but one lever, r3, is shown; butin practice two will be used, or one with two arms, one for each slide f2. The said corner lapels e3 are, by the slides jZ, held properly against the ends of the box h2, and prevented from swinging outward. The folding process is now completed by a further upward mo tion of the folder M, which carries its ears Z3 against the ears f3 of the blank, and folds these ends up against the corner lapels e3, and just as gradually as the end lapels f3 are swung up the slides 7'2 are also drawn up to permit the raised end lapels f3 to come into bodily contact with` the corner lapels e3 and produce the completed box, which is shown in Fig. 11. The gum on the upper faces of the end lapels f3 will cause the same to adhere to the corner lapels e3, and. thus confine the parts in the proper position. The folder M now remains stationary with the complete paper box between its wings or ears 1.3, and the next thing necessary is to discharge the box from the conveyer G, and at the same time to retain it between the wings Z3 of the folder M. This discharge of the box from the conveyer is chiefly effected by the elevation of the sleeve h2 on the block g2 to such an extent that such sleeve will be entirely withdrawn from within the paperbox. The requisite motion is imparted to the sleeve bythe continued, or rather resumed, upward motion of the slides i2.

A pin-which projects from the sleeve h2 into a groove of one of the slides i2, and which is indicated in Fig. S-is taken hold of, at the proper time, by the ascending slide '52, and the sleeve thereby elevated with such slide, being raised out of the paper box. This paper box is meanwhile, by the continued press `ure of the block g2 upon the bottom of such paper box, retained on the die J but the sleeve h2 loosens the paper box fromor on the conveyer, so that when, thereupon, the conveyer is swung up by the levers b2 it will leave the paper-box on the die J, between the ears Z3 of the folder M. After the conveyer has been raised off the die, as it is about moving into the position shown in Fig. 4 to take a new blank, the folder M receives about a quan ter turn in the direction of the arrow 2, (shown in Figs. l and 3,) and is thereby caused to take the paper box last formed, and which it holds between its ears Z3,with it out of the way of the die, and out of the way of the conveyer, when next it descends, and thus the folder M, if it has four arms, is in condition to hold three completed boxes, and form a fourth before one of the completed boxes need be taken from it, which may be done by automaticprocess or by hand. Being thus held in the rotating folder M, the boxes have time to become dry, so that, upon their final removal from the machine, there will be no danger of separation of the ends f3 from the corner lapels e3 of the paper box.

The die J may, on its upper surface, be provided with suitable type and inking mechanism, for the purpose of embossing or printing each box thatis being folded upon it.

I claim as my invention- 1. The vertically-reciprocatingcutter E, carrying the cutting-blade m and the punchingtools 'n a, in combination with the horizontal carrier F, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The vertical slide I, combined with the horizontally-moving blank-carrier F., to raise the carrier against the conveyer Gr, substantially as specified.

3. The glue-box H, constructed with the reciprocating perforated wiper m2 beneath the perforated false bottom Z2 and above the regular' bottom of the glue-box, substantially as specified.

4. In combination with the perforated reciprocating wiper m3 of the glue-boxthe pivoted rod r2 and clamp s2, substantially as described.

5. The combination ot' the gluebox with the loop t2 suspended therefrom, and with the rod W and clamp s2, said rod having an inclined edge to be raised and lowered as it passes through said loop, substantially as described.

6. ln combination with the reciprocating perforated wiper m2 and vibrating clamp 's2 of a glue-box, the rockshaft n2, all arranged for automatic action, substantially as specified.

7. The glue-box H, carrying the reciprocating perforated wiper m2, combined with the` steam'jacket 02, that has the pipes p2 and q2, substantially as specilied.

8. The conveyerblock g2 of the paper-boxmaking machine, combined with the embracing reciprocating sleeve h2, substantially as herein shown and described.

9. In combination with the reciprocating sleeve h2 and block g2, the reciprocating' facepieces 2, arranged to operate as set forth.

1.0. The combination of the block g2 of the conveyer G with the reciprocating side pieces j2, applied to said block g2, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

1l. The conveyor G, combined with the rock-shaft a2, levers b2, and inclined guide d2,

6 I almanac all arranged to retain the conveyer in a vertical position during the vibration of the levers b2, substantially as herein shown and described.

12. The combination of the blank-conveyer G with the stationary die J, vibrating folder L, and intermittently-rotating cross-shaped folder M, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

13. rllhe rotary folder M, made with the upwardly-projecting ears 7c3,'and With the out- -wardly-projectingears Z3, and arranged in the -form of a cross, for constituting a combined folder and box-retainer, substantially as herein shown and described.'

14. The improvement in the art of making lpaper boxes hereinbefore set forth, which consists in folding the sides and ends of the blank against a sleeve or box, h2, While its.

RICHARD GRIMM.

Witnesses:

E. C. WEBB, 0. A. WEIDNER. 

